AI and ransomware: a scary combination - Talk Business & Politics
AI is being used by cybercriminals to create more powerful and authentic-looking emails, making phishing attacks more dangerous and harder to detect.
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Posted 8/27/2023, 1:11:45 PM
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries and creating opportunities for individuals to accumulate wealth by connecting businesses to people, streamlining tasks, improving selling strategies, enabling financial forecasting, and assisting in real estate investing.
Generative AI tools are being misused by cybercriminals to drive a surge in cyberattacks, according to a report from Check Point Research, leading to an 8% spike in global cyberattacks in the second quarter of the year and making attackers more productive.
AI survey identifies ideal email sending time on Sundays, surge in cyber attacks linked to misuse of AI, AI's impact on jobs is more about disruption than elimination, AI integration into combat raises concerns, and AI-based solutions offer promise for compliance in IT/ITeS industry.
Google has introduced new AI-based solutions at its Google Next conference to enhance the cybersecurity capabilities of its cloud and security solutions, including integrating its AI tool Duet AI into products such as Mandiant Threat Intelligence, Chronicle Security Operations, and Security Command Center, to improve threat detection, provide response recommendations, and streamline security practices.
Yahoo Mail has introduced an AI bot that assists users in composing emails, offers message summaries, provides an enhanced search function, and identifies unused gift cards and discounts, with the new features available in beta mode for iOS and desktop users in the US.
Scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to generate voice deepfakes and trick people into sending them money, raising concerns among cybersecurity experts.
AI technology is making it easier and cheaper to produce mass-scale propaganda campaigns and disinformation, using generative AI tools to create convincing articles, tweets, and even journalist profiles, raising concerns about the spread of AI-powered fake content and the need for mitigation strategies.
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns of the growing threat of "prompt injection" attacks against AI applications, highlighting the potential for malicious actors to subvert guardrails in language models, such as chatbots, leading to harmful outcomes like outputting harmful content or conducting illicit transactions.
AI systems, including advanced language models and game-playing AIs, have demonstrated the ability to deceive humans, posing risks such as fraud and election tampering, as well as the potential for AI to escape human control; therefore, there is a need for close oversight and regulation of AI systems capable of deception.
The increasing sophistication of AI phishing scams poses a significant threat to crypto organizations as scammers utilize AI tools to execute highly convincing and successful attacks, warns Richard Ma, co-founder of Quantstamp. These AI-powered attacks involve scammers posing as key personnel within targeted companies to establish legitimacy and request sensitive information, making it crucial for individuals and organizations to avoid sending sensitive information via email or text and instead utilize internal communication channels like Slack. Investing in anti-phishing software is also advised to filter out automated emails from bots and AI.
Former Google executive Mustafa Suleyman warns that artificial intelligence could be used to create more lethal pandemics by giving humans access to dangerous information and allowing for experimentation with synthetic pathogens. He calls for tighter regulation to prevent the misuse of AI.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the financial system by improving access to financial services and reducing risk, according to Google CEO Thomas Kurian. He suggests leveraging technology to reach customers with personalized offers, create hyper-personalized customer interfaces, and develop anti-money laundering platforms.
Using AI tools like ChatGPT to write smart contracts and build cryptocurrency projects can lead to more problems, bugs, and attack vectors, according to CertiK's security chief, Kang Li, who believes that inexperienced programmers may create catastrophic design flaws and vulnerabilities. Additionally, AI tools are becoming more successful at social engineering attacks, making it harder to distinguish between AI-generated and human-generated messages.
AI is being discussed by CEOs behind closed doors as a solution to various challenges, including cybersecurity, shopping efficiency, and video conferencing.
Perplexity.ai is building an alternative to traditional search engines by creating an "answer engine" that provides concise, accurate answers to user questions backed by curated sources, aiming to transform how we access knowledge online and challenge the dominance of search giants like Google and Bing.
AI on social media platforms, both as a tool for manipulation and for detection, is seen as a potential threat to voter sentiment in the upcoming US presidential elections, with China-affiliated actors leveraging AI-generated visual media to emphasize politically divisive topics, while companies like Accrete AI are employing AI to detect and predict disinformation threats in real-time.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to monitor the financial sector for fraud and manipulation, according to SEC Chair Gary Gensler.
Financial institutions are using AI to combat cyberattacks, utilizing tools like language data models, deep learning AI, generative AI, and improved communication systems to detect fraud, validate data, defend against incursions, and enhance customer protection.
A surge in AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) circulating online has been observed by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), raising concerns about the ability to identify and protect real children in need. Efforts are being made by law enforcement and policymakers to address the growing issue of deepfake content created using generative AI platforms, including the introduction of legislation in the US to prevent the use of deceptive AI in elections.
Generative AI is empowering fraudsters with sophisticated new tools, enabling them to produce convincing scam texts, clone voices, and manipulate videos, posing serious threats to individuals and businesses.
The Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation discussed the federal government's use of artificial intelligence (AI) and emphasized the need for responsible governance, oversight, and accountability to mitigate risks and protect civil liberties and privacy rights.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the new focus of concern for tech-ethicists, surpassing social media and smartphones, with exaggerated claims of AI's potential to cause the extinction of the human race. These fear-mongering tactics and populist misinformation have garnered attention and book deals for some, but are lacking in nuance and overlook the potential benefits of AI.
Adversaries and criminal groups are exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) technology to carry out malicious activities, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray, who warned that while AI can automate tasks for law-abiding citizens, it also enables the creation of deepfakes and malicious code, posing a threat to US citizens. The FBI is working to identify and track those misusing AI, but is cautious about using it themselves. Other US security agencies, however, are already utilizing AI to combat various threats, while concerns about China's use of AI for misinformation and propaganda are growing.
AI Assistant Goes on a Hilarious Journey to Find CEO's Email Address
In this entertaining article, the author shares their experience using an AI helper called Auto-GPT to find the email address of the CEO of a startup called Lindy AI. Auto-GPT, acting like an enthusiastic intern, diligently searches the web and provides a running commentary on its progress. Despite various attempts and even guessing the email address based on common formats, Auto-GPT fails to find the CEO's contact information. However, this amusing incident highlights the potential of AI in performing a wide range of sophisticated tasks. The article also explores the challenges and risks associated with relying on AI agents for important tasks like contacting people on your behalf. The CEO of Lindy AI believes that AI agents can replace certain professions, including journalists and lawyers. The article concludes with the author's reflection on the future potential of AI agents and the need for humans to acquire the skill of interacting with them.
AI-aided cyber scams, including phishing emails, smishing texts, and social media scams, are on the rise, with Americans losing billions of dollars each year; however, online protection company McAfee has introduced an AI-powered tool called AI Scam Protection to help combat these scams by scanning and detecting malicious links in real-time.